Elastomers are a group of materials, which at room temperature can be stretched repeatedly and return to their original length. They are formed into many different items such as tires, mats, fan belts, hoses, gloves, gaskets, and the like. Frequently there is a need to apply indicia onto the surface of these items. The indicia can be in the form of an advertisement or it can have a more practical purpose such as providing a machine readable bar code onto the surface of the article for inventory control.
There are inks, dyes, and paints which can be applied to the surface of cured elastomeric articles. These, however, are difficult or expensive to apply and can be easily abraded, making the indicia unreadable. Indicia in the form of contrasting elastomeric material can be cured into the surface of the elastomeric article. This, for example, is how the whitewall of a tire is formed. But, this method has limited utility.
Heat activated transfers are used to provide indicia for various articles. But, these transfers generally cannot withstand curing conditions and/or abuse in use. If applied to an elastomeric article, the bond may not withstand abrasive forces and the indicia itself can be marred even if the transfer remains bonded to the substrate.